Greetings from “not Chuckatuck” on the 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany. We are still dealing with a winter storm that has dropped sufficient snow and cold weather on the region to make it unsafe for routine travel and gathering. The predictions were fairly good, with snowfall ranging from ~8″ in Virginia Beach to 3-4″ in most of the remainder of southside. Not much by some area’s standards but enough to be dangerous here. There have been reports of black ice on the roads and in an abundance of caution we gathered remotely (if that is a thing) this morning. Thankfully, we have become more accustomed to remote gathering and a little more comfortable, although we aren’t really comfortable in the “Hollywood Squares.”

For better or worse, Zoom doesn’t really lend itself to recording (you can but not really something to save for posterity) so there is no video of worship or audio of the sermon. But I offer these reflections of the lessons and a link to a homily I created before cancelling service.

In worship, the collect writers remind us that we answer God’s call, not by our volition but through the apprehension of God’s grace in our lives. By God’s grace we are able to share the Good News to the world. Our Hebrew Scripture this morning was taken from the prophet Nehemiah and recounted the reading and interpretation of the Torah to the Jews returning from the Exile. While they were grieved because of the things that had happened, they were encouraged to remember the holiness of God’s commitment to them. Our psalmist sang the praise of God’s grace and presence in earthy metaphors and imagery. We hear God’s message and share that message because it is ours to share not hoard. Today’s sermon was mostly focused on the reading from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. In this week’s reading Paul continues his recounting of the gifts of the Spirit and the truth that all gifts are necessary for a properly functioning community. None is “better” than another – all are equally important. Last, our gospel reading from Luke confirms the requirements of the church (people not building) – to proclaim good news and release from our bonds, and to proclaim the year of God’s favor.

Our mission is to share our gifts, especially with those whose gifts aren’t the same as ours – we need diversity as the body of Christ to be effective and growing.

Where are you encouraged to look for others who love God? I invite your comments and likes,
Les+

Readings: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:14-21

Video of homily: https://youtu.be/cd1Cjn_hcUo

Order of Worship: https://docs.google.com/document/d/198_fZoUi_xv1z-cUZHbX32uMa_taQzmQ/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=107597887755358491709&rtpof=true&sd=true